Because it's typical 90's Carrey in many ways. The reason that it was disliked, is not that our beloved Jim was just a little bit more serious at some moments but because dark comedy (that's what it was) simply isn't that welcome as laugh-out-loud comedy that's flirting with 'feel-good'.

So, a dark comedy would do better these days? Yup, it would I suppose, just a bit. Only one problem, people would have seen the amazing performances in 'The Truman Show', 'Man on the Moon' and 'Eternal Sunshine'. So this 'Cable Guy' would feel like a less good performance, just because it's not on that level.

'The Cable Guy' could work in 2009, but the script should be a lot better, the performance should go a lot deeper and more serious at times and Matthew Broderick should be replaced, cause the time he was kinda 'hot' for the audiance is long gone. As for the humor, this was totaly the Carrey from ten years ago, as you can see everywhere people expect more from him now. So, the same 'Cable Guy' as back then released now? No.